The Unmasked One
by SuperMetroidPrime
Summary: When Link is prompted to draw the Master Sword from its pedestal by Navi, when Samus is encouraged to unearth the Omega Cannon, and when Pit is given the most powerful bow, they realize their greatest power's summoning is no coincidence. They know something isn't right. They begin to warn the others of an everlasting intelligence that is masked as one of the so-called "Smashers"
1. The Dreams

**It's been awhile since my last fic, and I've been REALLY exited for the new Super Smash Bros for WIIU and 3ds. So as tribute, I've made something new for you all! Enjoy!:)**

"Hey! Listen!"

"Uuggghh"

Link's muscles were still heavy with drowsiness, but Navi's pestering newsflash managed to keep him awake. Unfortunately.

"I've got some news!" She claims, fluttering around Link's bed. Coming to think of it, Link wondered how she could talk in the first place.

"Not another absurd mission. I hope." Link answered, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes as he sat up in his bed. It was still early in the morning And He had waken previously in the night, thankfully not by Navi.

"No. But I've been feeling a little uneasy about this Smash Mansion lately. There's just- something's not right." She said. Link rolled his eyes. Navi had been on edge for months now about everything related to Smash. It seems that she'd been obsessing over it in her mind. Like everything else this past month, it had been starting to get on his nerves.

"Nothing is wrong. We've all lived here for years without any harm. Why would it start now?" He asked boredly, swinging his feet to the floor and grabbing his green tunic off of his dresser. He slips it on carefully, and stares longingly at his bow. It was a well-known rule of the Smash Mansion that weapons were prohibited in its halls. Severe consequences suffered of those who carried them. Master Hand had bluntly restated over and over that there was no need for lasers and swords or spells. Unless, of course, there was a tournament in progress. But Link contradicts Master Hand's beliefs. What if something dire had happened?

Link opens his bedroom door, being convineintly oblivious to Navi's rant of doom expectations. He steps out carefully, looking to his right only to see Samus walking toward him. Puzzled, Link stared at her in wonder. It was so early, what was she doing up?

"I. Am. Going..." She begins to poke Link's chest, annoyed. "TO MELT THAT FAIRY!"

"What-" Link begins. But Samus' temper was already lit ablaze. And for a mere 7-word conversation, she already seemed pissed off.

"THAT BITCH WOKE ME UP WITH HER 'HEY! LISTEN!' BULLSHIT AGAIN! FOR WEEKS I HAVE DELT WITH IT!" Samus shouts, far beyond heated. Her breaths are squeezed tightly together in a short period of time. She heaves them with enraged effort. Link himself begins to wonder how she heard the fairy in the first place. He knea Navi was loud, but...

"Shh! You'll wake the whole smash roster!" Link whispers. Her response is a repulsive glare.

"Just shut her up. Before I do it myself." She snaps, turning and heading toward the Great Hall.

"Well, someone's on her monthly..." Link mutters. Only then did he realize his mistake. Samus stops dead in her tracks, turning to Link menacingly.

"What!" She barked. Quickly approaching Link's position. Her eyes had reflected an abundanice of fury.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Link sweats, his eyes wide in apprehension. Samus grunts in displeasure. And the next thing Link knew was that Samus' arm had pinned him to the wall With a thud.

"Eh?! What's all this noise?" Ike asks, standing in his doorway across the hall. He notices Samus' arm to Link's throat. He dashes at them, holding her at bay. "What's going on?!"

"Link's damned fairy has been waking me up for months! And I'm sick of it!" Samus exclaims with disquiet. Her eyes lock on his.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Link yells. "But don't assault me for it!" Samus sighs and releases him. Her gaze goes to Link.

"Right. Sorry." She apologizes hastily. "I've just- been a little on-edge lately." Her voice trails off.

"About what?" Ike asks intently.

"That's the problem." Samus sighs. "I don't know." She shakes her head. The nearby air is suddenly injected with unknown shadow. Samus turns and finds that Link's bedroom door is still wide open and is oddly projecting yellow light into the hallway. Samus stares at it, only to see Navi flutter out, leaving a pinch of magical fairy Tinker Bell dust behind her. Navi passes the dozens of doors that lead up to the trio's position, like an extremely annoying creature stalling it's prey.

"Hey! Listen!" She squeaks. Dread falls over the the group like a curtain.

"AGGGHHH!" The three yell in unison. Samus smacked her head against the hall walls. Link face-palmed dreadfully and Ike sighed and shut his eyes tightly as if the fairy's words caused him physical pain.

Samus peels her forehead from the wall, shakes it slowly, and turns to Link. She gives him an assuring look and nods. Link pulls out a small receptacle that could fit a baseball inside. He unscrews the lid and places it in his other hand, slowly beginning to stalk the fairy. He continues to shadow Navi stealthily, being careful of his movement.

"Hey, I've been thinking-" she begins

Just as she was above the base of the jar, Link snapped the lid back and secured it quickly. Relief crosses him. Navi quickly forces herself upward, pushing at the lid. But Link had clamped it closed tightly. He holds the contained fairy high above his head triumphantly with his right hand.

(LoZ item acquisition fanfare plays and text appears in front of Link)

**Congratulations! You've caught: an annoying fairy!**

"Holy Saint Elemine! Thank goodness that's over." Ike says, relieved. He stares at Navi, whom continues to ram herself against the unscathed glass of the jar.

"Hey!" She exclaims with displeasure. Samus laughs a little, approaching the container and poking at it.

"I think we should all get some more sleep. It's not even time for the morning announcements yet." Ike suggests. Link and Samus both nod, wave, and begin to head back to their respective rooms. Just after she arrives, Samus performs the epically-dramatic backflop onto her bed. 'Thank Zebes I don't have a roommate.' She thinks. Most of the veteran fighters were not forced to room with anyone else. But some had allowed newer Smashers to room with them. Like Kirby, whom was rooming with Jigglypuff. For Samus, one adorable pink spherical puff would suffice in her life. She stares at the ceiling, wondering how much sleep she could've gotten if that wretched flying blue ping-pong ball hadn't waken her up. She falls asleep sooner than expected however, and dreams corrupt her mind.

The Ultimate Power. The strongest weapon ever carved into Samus' memory, was right before her eyes. She knew its power lay far beyond that of destruction. But of Corruption. Greed. Selfishness. Power. All of it crawling into the possessor's mind. Depriving them of common sense until the brink of senile. She knew the consequences of owning it, but knew the benefits just the same. Samus touches her hand to the medium-sized diamond that housed this amazing power. It was odd that something so _beautiful_ could shelter such a _terrible_ thing.

Without another moment's hesitation, the amethyst diamond began to radiate violet light. In a flash of mist, it disappeared. In its place however, was the item form of the Omega Cannon.

"ROOAAAAARRRR!" Gorea shrieks, having found the hole Samus had dissipated into. The orange orb of fire that was its chest lit the cavern well, allowing Samus to find the it began to throw projectiles at her. Specifically, Trocras. Sidestepping a cluster of them, she began to climb the spiral-shaped land that outlined the edges of the hole she'd plummeted. Gorea had been relentless with his Trocra-throwing with force as well as aim. Only one had cost 20 units if energy.

Looking up, Samus realized that there was just enough of elevated land to activate the speed booster, which would certainly help with the pesky projectiles. She began to sprint, recognizing the familiar feel of pressure developing rapidly on her back. She doubles her original speed and now begins to hear the the charge of the boost. Just a little more...

Now.

All of the said pressure growing in Samus' internally built jet pack had exploded violently, rocketing her forward. The Cobalt energy surrounding her turned her into a shining bullet, flying through anything that stood in her wake. Wait, she thought. Samus stared upward, only to see the fiery orb that was Gorea's chest, it's oddly-shaped body curving around and behind the orange sphere. It's head sitting atop the large, broad, mass that was its shoulders. She skidded to a halt, waiting for energy to charge in her jetpack.

Without a moment's notice, Samus skyrocketed, becoming a human(ish) doom firework of blue energy. Before the force ha hit Gorea, however, Samus began rip his armor to shreds with the Omega Cannon. Then, spelling his fatality with the ever-famous Shinespark

* * *

><p>"What is the meaning of all this?" Link asks, trudging through the clearing in the midst of the woods. His fairy comrade flying close to his ear.<p>

"Just do as I say..." Navi suggests. Link knew she meant well, but they way she said things sometimes made him think otherwise. This was one of those moments. Her words reflected good, but her tone depicted impatience.

"You're starting to sound like Midna." Link sighs, continuing through the glade.

"And _what_ is that supposed to mean?" Link directs his attention to the silhouette of him on the grass, where the familiar voice had originated. The shadow crossed its arms in frustration, but if one were to look at Link, they would see he was not doing the same. Instead of focusing on answering the question, Link's gaze draws to a blinding glint to his right. As the sun's light allows him to see again, his eyes widen. Could this really be...?

The all-to-familiar stone pedestal, the cobalt and violet handle... It couldn't be. But as Link approached, the last bit if doubt in his mind was extinguished. The ricasso resembling navy blue bat's wigs. The Triforce engraved by its handle. It had to be.

_The Master Sword._

"What-?" The word escaped from Link before he could halt it. He takes several more steps forward, until he is finally close enough to see its immense detail. A force unknown to him pushes his hand forward, causing it to fall onto the cool woven material that formed the grip of its handle. Almost immediately, the Triforce on his left hand begins to glow vibrantly, he wraps his fingers around the grip firmly. His right hand securing the sword under his left, he gives a gentle pull. For others, nothing would budge it, as the sword itself recognized who it wanted its master to be. Someone who has faced immense and endless trials of courage, perseverance, and character. This description fit Link's bill all to well. Almost nothing could match its power. Not even the evil king himself, Gannondorf.

A blinding golden light obscures the majority of his field of vision, but he feels the weight of his mighty weapon in his hand. Link makes a jabbing motion at the air above him, as the light on his hand and the sword recede. Something, or rather someone, had wanted him to do this. There was no way he stumbled upon the Sword by chance. It would be too coincidental. But it was his now. Unlike what Link was anticipating however, he would be forced to use it sooner rather than later.

* * *

><p>"You called, Lady Palutena?" Pit asks, kneeling on the cold white marble floor of the floating palace Near Skyworld. His reflection is vibrant in the glass-like marble.<p>

"Yes, Pit. And I need your sharpest attention." The green-haired goddess emerges from the dark corners into Pit's visibility. The angel frowns.

"I'm not going back into Hades' body!" He exclaims, recalling the memories of being trapped in the god's heart. He remembers corroding it's darkness with his ever-powerful light.

"No. But I sense something inconsistent in your vicinity. Something isn't right in the mansion, Pit." Palutena warns.

"Nothing I can't handle!" The angel exclaims buoyantly. Pit stands and brings up his fist enthusiastically. The goddess looked displeased. Pit is fearless and good-hearted, but also immature and reckless sometimes. Palutena knew that. And she knew that Pit alone couldn't handle this. Whatever it was, she knew it was strong and stable.

"Pit, listen to me. I know this is bigger than you. And it's growing. Fast. You're going to need help." Palutena raises her arms almost to the ceiling of the Palace in the Sky. Light pours over her hands and forms the silhouette of his signature bow. Yellow light explodes into Pit's field of view, blinding him for a few moments. As it dissipates, Palutena lowers her arms, the Palutena Bow secured in her hands. She offers it to Pit, her arms extended. "Please. Take this and warn the others. Go." Pit takes the bow, nods and turns As he begins to sprint out of the marble palace. He stoops at the edge of the marble, his back facing the whipping winds of the Skies. Pit shuts his eyes gently as he falls into the howling gusts of Skyworld.

* * *

><p>Samus wakes with a gasp, and a hunger for air. She sits bolt upright, heaving large breaths. A violet glint coming from her dresser catches her interest. She turns to it, her eyes widen.<p>

"What!?" She whispers. "No. That's not possible." But there it was. The medium-sized violet prism that housed the Ultimate Power. The Omega Cannon. "How-?" Perhaps this wasn't the most urgent question. "Why-?"

* * *

><p>Link, having been woken abruptly, sits up with a gasp. Another night without sufficient sleep. He shakes his head partly in dismay and partially in sleepiness. He notices a shining silver glint of metal on his desk. A long, double-edged sharp, pointed piece of metal With the ever-present Triforce engraved into it. The cobalt handle and woven grip. The Master Sword. "How...?" He asks drowsily, trying to convince himself he was still dreaming.<p>

* * *

><p>Pit had also waken Very suddenly.<p>

"AHH! KOMAYTO APOCOLYPSE!" The gaurdian angel screeches as his mind leaps into "start mode", completely skipping the usual "oh shit I've got to wake up" mode. Pit's mornings were almost always slow, as all he wanted to do was go back to the bed he was longing for. "Wait, I don't remember dreaming about Komaytos..." He mutters, then shruggs. But something capturdd his attention. Light. Golden light shines vibrantly, originating from his work area. He stands drowsily, approaching his desk.

_Palutena's Bow_.

* * *

><p><strong>Link, running out of ideas, tries to push open the towering vibrant stone wall. <strong>

**Link: It won't open! **

**Navi: Maybe you should _try force!_**


	2. The Warning

Pit couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. He wraps his fingers around the handle grip as the blinding light subsides. Two glowing bracelets that resembled halos appear on his right hand. Pit knew that his dream wasnt real. But some component of it HAD to be, otherwise Palutena's Bow wouldn't be in his hands. He remembered that Palutena wanted to warn the other smashers about something, so she gave the most powerful weapon she could craft to him. And here it was in his hand. He had to warn them.

His wings spread wide as he stands. Pit knew that this was just the beginning of the terrors that he would encounter in the future. But every beginning has an end.

Both Link and Samus had their heads resting upon the marble tables at breakfast. Link had been snoring exceptionally loud, and had been told to 'shut it' several times by different smashers. They seemed to disregard the fact that his dreams predict the future. Samus, however, had been sleeping rather peacefully. But when poked by Snake, she groaned noisily, mumbled something about a 'Zebesian lollipop' and went back to sleep.

"I don't think a nuke could wake those two." Snake said to Pit, sitting across from him. But Pit merely looked up at him curiously, his mouth full of cinnamon rolls. Snake shakes his head.

After breakfast, Pit sifted through the crowds in the endless hallways of the mansion, in search for The Hunter and Hero of Time. Not surprisingly, he finds them standing outside Link's door, chatting drowsily. They seemed to look as though they were still half asleep. As Pit draws nearer, the conversation Link and Samus are undergoing becomes more concise.

"-Up...Master...desk...sight!" Link exclaims. He sounded shocked. The Huntress listens intently, or at the very least, tries to. Obvious that the drowsiness has overtaken her. Link shakes his head. "I live...world of magic...this...normal." Pit continues to stalk closer to them, intrigued by the conversation.

"Especially weird. One moment I was acquiring the Omega Cannon, next I wake and it's right in front of me." Samus claims, shaking her head in confusion. Pit was beginning to test his luck by inching closer. He stood in a nearby group of people, far away enough not to be noticed, but close enough to hear. He pulls out of the group to get the best quality information.

"This can't be a coincidence." Link mutters.

"Well, Captain Obvious, what do you think it means?" Samus snaps with a playful laugh. She smiles.

"Were going to have to find out."

Pit, in attempt to listen clearly, casually walks by, only to be stopped by Samus.

"What do you want, Angel Boy?" She asks sternly.

"Huh?" He responds.

"What. Do you. Want?"

"Uhm..." Pit replies. Busted.

"You need something, don't you?" Samus claims, narrowing her eyes.

"Err..."

"Samus, lay off the kid. He's only been here a year." Link intervenes.

"He needs something from us. I saw him inching toward us. He was listening." She says. "Obviously for a reason."

"Maybe he was just walking past, like a normal person?" Link suggests. But his words were ignored. It didn't seem to strike him that no one here was normal. They all had some sort of enhancement on their bodies, whether it be magic, like Zelda, mechanical, like Samus; or something purely unexplainable. Like Captain Falcon's: "FALCON PAUNCH!"

"What do you need, kid?" The Huntress asks lightly.

Now was as good of a time as any. The two mascots of Smash were right in front of him. "Lady Palutena told me to warn you. Something's coming. Something terrible. And apparently it's disguised as one of us. She gave her most powerful weapon!" Pit exclaims.

"Navi told me something wasn't right. Now Palutena?" Link shakes his head. "Is it a odd that we all have our best weapons?"

"I think not." Samus answers. "But first I think we need-" She was quickly interrupted by a violent shake of the mansion. Several portraits of tournament-victorious smashers had fallen. Samus turns toward what she thought was the source. Windows began to develop rifts as they threatened to shatter. Smashers scramble into their dorms for safety as the quiet shake succeeded to a rumble. Samus knew that Pit's room was too far for him to walk to safely. Instead, she protects him, her arms and back acting as a shield. An enormous black silhouette passes over the light illuminating the mansion. Link stares at it, attempting to decrypt the thing it belonged to as he sidestepped falling debris. He only managed to make out that this ponderous thing had two very large wings.

"GET DOWN!" The huntress yells. Nobody thought twice over this command. All of the smashers had fallen to the ground, their hands protecting their heads. Though, in Zelda's case, it was magic, protecting multiple people. Samus cringes in pain as multiple objects shatter on her back. 'Thank Zebes I'm not wearing my suit' she thought. 'Otherwise all of my upgrades would've disappeared!' The massive rumbling of the mansion had stopped, which only made everybody more nervous and tense. Rainbows do come after hurricanes, but no one was entirely sure this storm was over yet.

A shrill, cutting screech splits the air. This was only, however, a forewarning. A plume of flames and pressure cause a large section of the hallway to collapse, conveniently obstructing the exit to the great hall. Pit tried to get a closer look of what caused the structure to compromise, but Samus stopped him.

"Stay here." Was all she said. Another mass of flame blew apart the exterior of the hall, letting daylight pour inside. Samus shielded her eyes. As her vision returned, she could see dark, leathery wings that outlined the metal of armour. The huge wings beat almost silently in the wind as the creatures face became visible. Red eyes. Harpoon tail. Mechanical enhancements. It only fit one bill.

"Ridley?!"


	3. The Identity

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The monstrous creature shrieks sharply as it glides to a landing in the mansion's halls, crushing the walls that stood in it's wake. Link makes a break for his dorm, signaling others to prepare for battle. When he arrives, he shuffles through his belongings on his desk, wrapping his hands around the Hero's Bow and Master Sword. He sheaths the sword, knowing this creature would prove formidable in close combat. Link dashes into the hallway, bow in hand, and readies it steadily. Un-breaking eye contact develops between him and his foe. Or possibly in this case, Samus'. He could see the orange glint of her armour as It materialized around her. What was once a brief moment of shock and horror, was now a spark of fury and vengeance. Link didn't know exactly what drives Samus to develop such a hatred for a dragon. A shrill roar filled the air. But something seemed oddly familiar about this dragon. It was covered with back armour; long, deadly tail; lizard like head; lack of arms; and red wings. Samus releases a blast of energy at his left wing, disabling his flight.

Link fires the arrow, his aim without a flaw. He had hit the dragon square in his eye. It shrieks, giving Samus a chance to run to Link's aid.

"Samus!" He calls, signaling her to an attack incoming behind her. Ridleyp(?) had blown fire everywhere, leaving almost everything in flames.

"This isn't who you think it is!" Link shouts over the shrieks of the monster. Link pulls another arrow into the bow.

"What?"

"It's not Ridley!" He yells, firing at the half-blinded dragon. The arrow bounces off the armour with no harm done. Surely this was impossible. He hadn't battled him for years. "It's the Twilit Dragon!"

Samus doesn't answer, but continues to launch offensive attacks with the Flamethrower, only for the monster to shake them off easily as if he were Taylor Swift.

'Where is Master Hand?' Link thought as he drew sword. The twilit dragon had come too close for ranged attacks. It turns away from them, assessing other threats in the mansion. He soon remembers how he defeated him on his quest.

The creature raised it's monstrous tail and prepared for a strike against Lucina, whom was preoccupied with the Peahats that had unearthed themselves into the mansion. They surrounded her. She made a quick stabbing motion at a few of them, before slashing them in half with her sword. The others advanced in on her quickly, leaving no room for attention of a dragon about to render her lungs airless. Just as it was about to knock the air out of her, Samus had finally analyzed the Dragon's weak points. Her Grapple Beam launches and attaches itself near the very tip of it's tail. Keeping the creature at bay, Samus signals Link to help Lucina with the odd plant-like Peahats. He comes to her aid quickly, leaving Samus alone to deal with the bigger threat. He sent most of the flying plants away with a steady whirl of his sword, but more had emerged from the ground to take their place. This leaving the both of them outnumbered 20/2.

Bowser, Pikachu, and Zelda had been attempting powerful Melee attacks on the Dragon, but they had been easily shrugged off. So in turn, they used their projectile attacks, which proved to be formidable against it. Pikachu's electrical currents touching the dragon's metal armour caused it to temporarily become immobilized. Thus, allowing Bowser to begin melting its armour with his high-temperature fire-breathing. This leaving Zelda to conduct her powerful Hylian magic to damage it internally.

"Thoron!" Robin shouts. A burst of electric energy erupts from his hands and skims the creatures back. Thus, unfortunately, causing minimal damage.

The pulling force on its tail caused the dragon to turn its attention on Samus. The entity had launched an offensive fire blast, it's aim nearly perfect, Leaving most of the floor in smolders. Frustrated with the near miss, it realized that Samus was still attached to it's tail. Ridley(?) thrashed it about, slamming her into the mansion's nearby walls. Recovering quickly from a moment's dizziness, Samus switched her weapon to the Light Beam and strafed back to avoid another attack. She fired a bright and vibrant charged shot. It seemed as though the blast dissipated in light of the sky, but had reappeared to strike the dragon in its chest. The horrible monster shrieked in pain as it was set alight by the Lightblast. It lurched backward. Samus decided to up the ante of weaponry, but not before Pit had. He rose high above the creature's head, loading Palutena's bow with a light arrow, aiming for its leg with the hopes of demobilizing it somehow. He fires, hitting the inside of its leg; near its tail. Following up Pit's arrow was the Sunburst, hurdling directly between the dragon's eyes.

With it stunned by another arrow in its limb, the Sunburst had no chance of missing its target. Even with it's undeniably slow movement, the Twilit Dragon was blasted onto its backside. It was dazed, if not dead already. The horrible shrieks of agony had ceased, and a hush fell over the area like a cloud.

The pestering Peahats had buried themselves in the earth again, and Link began to approach the ponderous body of the dragon that was unbelievably lively a few moments ago. But before getting too close, Link begins to stare at his shadow. All eyes were on him as he stared.

Samus takes off her helmet, briefly closing her eyes to recover from daze. 'What a strange turn of events...' she thought. Instead of thinking about the dragon's massacre, she decides to remain positive about the recent events.

"Staring at your shadow does not make spring come faster." She laughs. But she also realizes soon that he was doing this for a reason. A strange, short entity coated in shadow emerged from Link's silhouette. It looked semi-human, with a crown-shaped headpiece and four appendages. It approached the Dragon's body swiftly via gliding. Which was odd, since it had legs, albeit, very short ones. It examined it for a few moments before turning back to Link and speaking to him.

"You remember this guy, Link?" It asks. Link nods. "His name is Argorok... He was reanimated by a magic unknown even to my tribe. It doesn't even come close to Zant's."

Zant?

Not everyone knew who he was, but as the name was spoken, a hush fell over what was left of the hallway.

The entity turns and glides over to the dragon's corpse to further analyze it. The said silence was only intruded by heavy breathing and the shadow's voice.

"It resembles... ancient beings' magic."

"That's a great answer and all, but how does it help explain the fact that a huge dragon decided to clash through our walls?" Robin asked.

"I was getting to that." It said this with an attempt of patience, but it came closer toward a sarcastic snap. "Zant couldn't have done this." It shakes it's head and turns back to Link. "It was not Twilight that reanimated him!"

"What else could it have been, Midna?" Link asks, more annoyed than confused.

The Seven Sages. They sent Argorok here!" A stillness in the air hardens, the mansion itself seemed to hold its breath.

"Surely not. He was reanimated by twilight last time we fought. What could've changed?" Link asks. His words seemed to be a cue however, as Argorok's body began to glow with bright, yellow light. With a flash of blindness, it disappeared.

"Is that how creatures of Twilight die, Link?" Midna asks mater-of-factly. He didn't answer, as his mind was still spinning with these recent events. He flashes a glance at Samus. She shrugs with a confused look.

"Don't look at me!" She laughs. "I didn't know this thing existed until just five minutes ago."

"The Seven Sages? Are you sure?" Zelda asks. She seemed quite doubtful.

"There's no other possibility." Midna answers with finality. She floats back next to Link, who looked utterly confused.

Robin asks the question that was pestering everyone's mind.

"Why would they send someone- something- here to destroy us?"

"Too many questions. Not enough answers." Link replies. He turns to talk to Midna; "I think we should talk to the sages about this." She stares at him sarcastically before answering.

"How do the humans say it...? Uhm... Well duh!" She exclaims. "We need to see them as soon as possible! Everyone else, stay here until Link and I return."

"Um, no." Samus states plainly. As her voice carries into the halls, others begin to murmur skeptically. Defiance was easily legible in her voice. After receiving a puzzled look from Midna, she continues to speak. "It took a whole team of Smashers to take that thing down." She points to where Agorok's body was. "Sure as hell you're not dumb enough to go out there without something more than a sword and shield!" Samus raises her Arm Cannon and puts on her helmet. Her voice begins to sound like it's been transmitted via radio. "I'm coming with you."

Midna opens her mouth to object, but Link cuts her off intentionally.

"Right then, if you're coming with us, then let's go." Link announces. Samus gives an approving nod.

"So what exactly was that thing?" She asks, her eyes darting in every direction. She stayed ahead of the group, Arm Cannon ready to pulverize anything that moved.

"A dragon I had fought a while back." Link answers. "He was possessed by a terrible force last time we met."

"Sounds familiar to me!" She laughs. This was odd, since her stance and facial expression seemed stern.

The sun began to sink below the the surface of the grass-coated earth they'd been walking on. It was about midday when they left. Samus couldn't help but worry about the smashers left in the mansion. Hopefully everything was at bay and no dragons were bursting through the walls. Regardless, she still kept herself alert, ready for anything to strike at any moment.


	4. The Commencing

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Link could already tell that Midna was forming some sort of distaste for Samus. He knew that Midna was not often defied and typically fancied leading the group. Samus was similar in those terms, but was much calmer and more docile. Unless, of course, she was already incensed. One of the would undoubtedly and unknowingly instigate the other. Link knew well that if this were to happen, it would end in the earth's exploding into smolders. Link's mind begins to drift until he decided to make this trip to the spirits In some way interesting. Samus wasn't one messed with, unless by those with oblivious to the fact that they are takin their life in their hands. But felt the urge to say something. Link stops for a moment to wee"Hey Ironsides." Link couldn't help but smile after speaking. There was no true purpose of him saying this. He only wanted to witness her reaction to her undeniably perfect nickname. It was ironic that no one else had called her this. Samus pauses, turning her head in a fashion so he could see half of her visor. He couldn't see her expression through its opaque nature, but could tell how she felt by the tone of her voice. Link could her a small laugh escape from her helmet.

"Okay, that was...funny...A little!" She smirks. "That's a new one, too." Both Samus and Link continue to walk and begin to see the beginnings of the Gerudo Desert. They stop to gaze at each other.

"At least it's not Metroid." He smiles.

"Shut up, Zelda."

* * *

><p>"ENOUGH!" A black and blue Pokémon engulfs it's fists in flame as it screamed. At one end of the hallway, a cape ripples and falls to the back of a spheroid creature. It's horns glint in the dull light, as it was soon to be dusk. Two yellow ovals glow dimly. At the other end of the distant hall was a small mouse Pokémon, small sparks of yellow lightning erupting from its cheeks.<p>

"Humph." Meta Knight grunted, vexed.

"Pika!" Pikachu spat contentiously.

"Stop it!" Cries a blonde woman clad in a pink gown that hovered only just above the ground. Her expression was stern.

"Instead of just arguing for ages, how about we do something productive until Samus and Link return?" Zelda suggests. Her expression betrays her tone, which was slightly irritated. With a grunt of regret, Meta Knight sheaths his sword. This beckons Pikachu to return to a slacken, unwary stance. The walls around them were critically damaged, and in many places the sun's dim orange light could be visible. Like the Smashers state of mind, they were crippled and unrecognizable -damaged with confusion.

"What do you suggest we do, Zelda?" A blonde boy asks, his brow furrowing in confusion and worry. He sheaths his red-and-blue energy sword and shakes his head in dismay. He wears a red vest and orange shorts with numerous ethnical markings upon them. He wasn't always the negative type, but the attack had crippled everyone's stability in their thoughts.

"I don't know, Shulk. But arguing and instigating about it is certainly not the answer." She snaps, irritated. "Let's just head back to our dorms, and wait until they return."

Not everyone was satisfied with the idea of doing nothing, but either no one had ideas or no one voiced them. All of them walked to their rooms reluctantly. Shulk sat quietly on his bed, replaying through his mind hat had happened after Link and Samus had left. All of the Smahers had still been gathered in the halls of the dorms, still dwelling upon the attack. Frozen in their thoughts and resolutions, of which varied drastically between each Smasher. A solution had to be spoken and made. Meta Knight suggested that an elite team of Smashers should seek to kill the sages, to cease the chance of another attack. But Pikachu seemed to disagree. No one quite knew Meta Knight and thus, no one would've anticipated that a polite disagreement could easily ignite into a fight. And of course, it undoubtedly did.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Zelda." Samus stops in her tracks. Staring ahead at the oncoming hoard of a grey blob of warthog shapes against the desert sun. Which of course, made everything look like it was melting, steaming due to the intense climate.<p>

"What?" Link jogs to catch up to where she stood, frozen. At first he saw nothing, but then noticed the grey, large splotch of color charging toward them. They weren't close enough to fight, but far enough to notice and prepare for battle.

"We've got unexpected company... And I don't think they're here for a tea." Samus stares ahead. Someone had known they were coming. And undoubtedly sent bounty hunters to chase them away. But what Samus had said only a moment ago defied the new expression upon her face- a smirk. 'No one does the hunting around here. Except for me.' She thought, vexed. But what questioned her mind most was why the light spirits tried to eliminate them. She pushed this away and began to focus on the upcoming combat

Link draws his sword.

"Looks like they've got some sort of rendezvous point over there for us. Should we attack them? " He asks sternly, ready for the firefight that would come because of course, he knew the answer was to be yes. He remembered when the beasts took llia, and anger rose high above his expectations

Samus narrows her eyes and gives a malevolent smile.

"And they didn't invite me." Samus was engulfed in a cloud of nostalgia. I had been a good deal of time since her last mission at the BSL Station. The Galaxy had been maintaining its own safety, oddly. She wanted to do something, other than play Smash Tournaments everyday.

"It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all outta gum." Link spits sternly.

**-Duke Nukem**

**Review Response: DarkX the Dragon Knight; I definitely will change the verbs to past tense in the future and will likely update the already existing chapters soon;)**


	5. The Mirror

**Author's Note: No, this is not an actual new chapter, sorry. I just wanted to say that I've recently looked at the email reviews from one of my older fics. (How Metroid Other M Should've Been, to be specific) and I realized that I was well beyond stupid to write that piece of scheisse. I got some pretty nasty reviews about it, but I think I kinda deserved it for being so naive. I couldn't understand how inconsistent it was, and in some ways, how it was worse than what it was supposed to fix. And when I got the reviews I just broke down screaming. So sincerest apologies for those who have read that nasty pile of doo doo butter with Samus shoved in it. Anyway, this isn't story time from SuperMetroidPrime, so read on, my friends. **

* * *

><p>A large, seismic upheaval shook the grounds of the a chamber that housed a small mirror, chained to the ground. Guarding it were six white, ghost-like entities with masks hovering quite far from their faces. They flew several feet above the ground, so they were not affected by the quivering earth. As the tremor abruptly stopped and started continuously, many of the figures immediately tried to assess the cause.<p>

"Rauru, what is causing this?" Shouted one of them, alarmed, but weary of the possibilities of its cause.

The one called Rauru quickly rushed to an opening of the large arena-like structure. There he caught a glance of the entrance, and turned swiftly back to others.

"Not what," He said, "But whom." A blood-churning shriek acted as a coda to his words, and following them was a large, grey shadow that crossed over the chamber. The shadow got smaller as its owner smashed into the ground on its feet, skidding across the desert sand. One of the creatures wielded a sword of light in a hasty attempt to plunge it into the chest of the beast. It only, however ricocheted off of its metallic armour, leaving the beasts' to curl back into snarl. Another screech sliced the air. The dragon turned its pterodactyl-like head toward the one who brandished it. To the spirits' astonishment, the actions of the one who attacked were ignored. Astounded, the white figures were frozen in horror as the beast ripped the mirror from its restraints with its clawed hands. They countered with offensive rush attacks, but the dragon was fatally expeditious in his blow with his tail. With them all briefly stunned, it took the air with a ferocious best of its violet wings.

"THE MIRROR OF TWILIGHT," It shouts, the echo of it's words leaking into the air, leaving the atmosphere quietly seeping with terror. "SHALL RETURN TO ONE WHO WAS BANISHED TO ITS REALM!" A terminal howl fabricated the air stale with horror. It left without another word.

* * *

><p>"AYYYYAHH!" Link sent away several Bulbins with the orbit of his sword. He quickly pulled out his bow and loaded it with an explosive arrow. He released it with deadly precision, which triggered his attackers' detonation upon contact. Behind him was Samus, bashing a Bublin with the butt of the Arm Cannon. This left it stunned, giving her the opportunity to incinerate it with the Omega Cannon. She latched onto another one with her Grapple Beam, launching it in the air and With an airborne kick, she sent it flying towards Link. The Bulbin met its end with an upward spin attack while Link landed gracefully upon the desert floor, not a scratch visible on him. Another one, mounting a warthog of sorts, charged at Samus from behind. Having sensed the danger, she swiftly collapsed into the Morph Ball, rolling under the warthog. With the jockey and its mount confused with no enemies to fight, Samus laid three electrical charges under its belly. With the third charge detonated, her enemy de-materialized. With a lack of foes, Samus returned to a relaxed stance.<p>

"We seem to work quite well with each other." Link commented, getting to his feet and sheathing his sword.

"It does seem that way." She replies, pondering the fact. "I wonder-" A squawk originating ahead of them cut Samus short. "What?" Another shortly followed, leaving them both searching the vicinity for any anomalies. Samus almost instantly noticed a large, purple-grey that beast took the skies from a formidable distance. She quickly analyzed it.

**SCAN ****COMPLETE**

**Mecha-form; Ridley**

**With new enhancements, target has gained significant amounts of defensive mechanisms including; shields, missiles and heavy armour of unknown origin. Target relies heavily on projectiles and beams, but still proves to be treacherous in melee combat. Its' mouth is plated heavily and will make a difficult target for fire. Scans detect no breaks in the targets' armor; observation will be required for further information upon combatants' weak points. **

"Wonderful." Samus muttered facetiously. But it wasn't Rildeys' resurrection that caught her attention. He had died and lived so many times it was as predictable as a soap opera. What drew her eye was the close-up image brought up to magnify what was clutched in his claws- a mirror.

"What is it?" Link asked sharply.

"It is Ridley, no doubt. But he is holding what appears to be... a mirror." Samus answered, puzzled of his accession. She knew that Ridley would not go out of his way for something that won't benefit himself, so she concluded that this was surely no petty item.

"What does it look like?" He asked.

"I can't quite tell clearly. It looks to have something like three triangles emblazoned close to the top, with many illegible markings consistent with the rest of it." Samus turns her head to look at Link.

His brow knitted in confusion. His thoughts raced inside him, dozens of them- questions. Most of them leading to several conclusive inquiries. How? Why? When? He pondered on these questions, but came to one end. Ridleys' acquisition of the mirror would only push their rush to an explanation of the attack from the Sages. First Argorok attacking, and now Ridley's theft. He couldn't help but conceive the idea for an upheaval. An insurrection. Lead possibly by Ridley himself, or worse; Ganondorf. Either ruling a shadow army would lead to rampant battle.

"He has the Mirror of Twilight." Link deduced gravely.

Based off of his grim tone, Samus knew that this mirror was likely some sort of weapon or tool. One that could push them dangerously closer to whatever had started brewing with the attack on the mansion.

"What can this mirror accomplish?" She asks with a lucid austerity in her speech. A tone that seemed almost permanent with her voice. Link brings up his head.

"War." He answers. "It serves as a connection between the land of Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. It's a portal." Link continues. "The Realm it leads to is the home of an army of Shadows." Samus began instinctively drawing similarities between the mirrors' abilities and that of the portals once on Aether, and the shadow beasts that once resided in them. She wondered if their similarities in origin would lead to a downfall reminiscent of that of the Ing.

"I've dealt with something similar," She said. "Its like a dark dimension, correct?"

"Exactly." Link assured.

"Well, regardless of Ridleys' acquisition, We should still press on." Samus concluded with a nod.

"We can't be having him running roughshod with the Mirror of Twilight!" Link countered vehemently. He extended his arm in the direction Ridley had flown to.

"Surely not," She began, keeping her frustrations temperate. "Either we visit your 'Sages', or we go after him." Samus sighed. "You and I both know we are not even _remotely_ prepared for a battle like that. I know that the Ultimate Power can take down Gorea, but Ridley has grown versatile, and much more powerful."

Trepidation welled up inside Link quickly. He knew it would be unwise to pursue Ridley at this point, but the mere thought of him escaping anywhere with such an artifact worried him.

* * *

><p>A deep, menacing, foreboding laugh erupted from in front of a dark, human-esque silhouette. The sound boomed off of the stone walls as the silhouette stood up.<p>

"So he has the Mirror of Twilight?" The dark voice asked.

"Yes." The shadow responded.

"Wonderful. Let's give them a delightful house guest. Send in my puppet."


	6. The Friend

"Where's a-Peach?" Mario asked Lucina sullenly. He had been looking for her for some time now, and luck was his utmost enemy.

"I'm sorry, Mario I don't know. I haven't seen her since that beast attacked." Lucina responded reluctantly as she closed her eyes. The dragon came far too close for comfort for her. For anyone, of that matter. "Let us just hope she turns up soon. We must focus on preparing for another potential battle."

"I hope-a she's OK!" The red-clad plumber exclaimed in worry. "Getting-a kidnapped by Bowser is-a bad enough-a now-a dragons?" Both Mario and Lucina took notice of Zelda, who was standing sullenly and gazing at the gaping holes in the concrete mansion walls.

"I don't like waiting for things to happen." Zelda shook her head. After most went to their dorms to calculate what had happened, she stayed outside, staring at the remains of her home. Argorok was undoubtedly enhanced with magic, but Midna's conclusion baffled Zelda. The Sages were allies, helping both her and Link many times. After standing alone for a while, many other Smashers joined to stare at the ruins. One of them being Pikachu.

"Pika-pi!(What else are we supposed to do)?" Pikachu asked.

"What if another something attacks us again?" Pit questioned aloud. Palutena's predictions were starting to become terrifyingly accurate. She gave Pit the Bow for a reason, whether it be for a giant dragon crashing through the walls, or whatever the goddess was warning him of. It scared him a bit to think that the attack was what she was predicting. But it was more than likely to be true. He hoped what was to come would only reside in his nightmares.

"Link and Samus just up and left us here." Meta Knight scoffed.

"No, they didn't. Were supposed to defend this with our lives." Robin retorted. "If anything comes, we put up or best fight!"

"Yes, they did." Ike chimed in. "But no one else went because no one else spoke up. We all could have gone. It's our own fault that we're here." He stated with an amount of remorse that was unusual for him. "They chose to go. So we could have as well."

"Ike is right," Zelda sighed in dismay. "We could have."

"Instead of this, how about we prepare in the case of another attack of who knows what?" Lucina suggested lightly, pointing at the hallway where the dorm rooms resided.

"That's a formidable idea, Lucina." Ike uttered as he turned around to head towards his dorm. He beckoned for everyone else to do the same, and with some resistance, they all went to their rooms to ready themselves.

* * *

><p>A red satellite icon appeared at the bottom corner of Samus' visor. It expanded some to form an audio waveform with a black background, and subtitles of what was being said. Blue words began to appear letter-by-letter as the waveform began to form peaks and drops, indicating sound from the transmission's source.<p>

"Samus! It's Peach! I escaped the mansion when that terrible thing attacked!" The message was interrupted with static and distorted muddle. "There's someone -something attacking me! These ogre things took me to a strange desert castle thing, qui-!" The transmission cut out and was replaced with garbled static. Samus continued to trek through the desert sand. She wondered how Peach got her hands on a transmitter that would be able send signals to Samus' receivers. Without hesitation, she alerted her comrade.

"Link!" She exclaimed urgently.

"What's wrong?" He asked, staying close beside his companion.

"I have just received a transmission from Peach. Looks like she's in trouble." Samus answered bluntly.

"Should we turn around?" Link inquired.

"No, the faster we can figure out why the attacks are coming, the faster we can make them stop." Samus explained briefly. "Where do your Sages reside, exaclty?" She asked.

"Just past a dungeon up ahead." Link responded, remembering the strange skeletal fossil that resided inside. Zant had plunged a sword into its head, forcing it to reanimate.

"I really hope this doesn't incinerate you." Samus remarks, shaking her head.

"What?!" Link exclaimed with confusion and a foreboding amount of worry.

"Take my hand." Was her only reply to Link's shout. He did so, wondering the worst of what could happen. "Run behind me, so the energy won't rip your flesh off. But not too close. The boosters might also melt you." Link's eyes widened in horror.

Samus began to run, first at normal speed, but her velocity began to increase rapidly. Link felt the wind created by Samus piercing his body, the very oxygen molecules fight against his structure. He took at glance at Samus, who was engulfed a blueish light energy that was pulsating around the both of them. The air around them began to part as the energy took residence around their very existence. The searing pain in Link's bones and the walls of his blood vessels began to calm as his very surroundings seemed to bend around Link. The sea of yellow and orange swerved and evaded them. Just as rapidly as the nightmare had started, it was gone. Link bent over his knees, his face looking as though he were going to vomit. Noticing his biliousness, Samus offered a hand to help him up.

"Thank you, but What. In the Hell... was that?" Link asked breathlessly, Taking Samus's hand and bringing himself upward.

"The Speed Booster." She answered, her voice with only the slightest bit of remorse. "I wasn't sure if I should have used it when we first arrived. But it seems situations have gotten more dire than expected." Samus continued, "I'm sorry that you had to experience that."

"It's... fine, Samus. If it gets us to the Sages faster, I don't blame you." Link answered reluctantly. He and Samus looked up at the large staircase that lead to the temples entrance. The mere steps dwarfed the both of them, being abnormally wide and short

"This place acted as a holding cell for the worst criminals Hyrule has seen." Link remarked staring at the wide stairs.

"Sounds very welcoming." Samus responded. She had definitely seen worse, but a prisoner-dungeon was nevertheless foreboding. The two began to ascend the large staircase that stood in the way of their destination.

* * *

><p>"Who the Hell... Puts a prisoner temple... up thirty flights of Zebes-damned stairs!" Samus spat angrily.<p>

"Come on, Samus. Maybe the dungeon...Maybe its made of chocolate!" Link wheezed as he laughed at his own joke.

* * *

><p>"So what's up with Peach?" Link asked, out of anything else to say to her as he stopped in front of a large whirl of quicksand in front of him.<p>

"She said somethings were attacking her in a sort of castle." Samus replied trudge through the sand without difficulty. Link followed her, but stayed on the platforms, evading the whirl. "She might be here."

"I suppose we should start searching." Link suggested as he pulled himself out of the sand and slid a door open. The duo was greeted with a gang of Bulbins huddled around a pink, muddled outline. Link instantaneously drew the Master Sword just as Samus primed the Arm Cannon and directed it upon the group surrounding Peach. Her other hand resting upon the top of her weapon, Samus and Link were shocked that they didn't peruse to attack them. Instead, The Bulbins disbanded, letting Peach rise menacingly. This betrayed her usual behavior, she was almost always easygoing and, well, peachy. But this guesture alone suggested something different. The air went stale with anticipation and tension, as if the atmosphere itself was waiting for something to happen. The staleness was only broken by the monstrous cackling of a deadly familiar austere tone. Such a laugh coming from a petite woman such as Peach was beyond disturbing. Beyond menacing. It was unnerving. Plumes of purple lightning-like rods shot from within Peach as her form itself began to shift disturbingly.

"You know, you should never trust your friends, Sammy. This is gonna be fun."

**Did anyone catch my Left 4 Dead 2 reference? No? It's pretty obvious... Anyway, I'm sorry this took so long to update. School, animation and YouTube have taken up a lot of my time. I don't have good excuses to be honest. I couldn't come up with the next major plot point. But... Here it is! I hope you enjoyed, and please review! It helps me refine my writing skills and make the story more enjoyable. Thank you for reading!**


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